Mercedes-Benz sees a bit of daylight in the commercial van market between the Sprinter and its smaller rivals. And the Metris might have what it takes.

The pre-production Metris cargo van is making good headway to the west, and my German co-pilot and I are unaware that our turn-off is disappearing behind us. There's a vague sense that something's wrong when we see a "LAST >3.5% BEER" sign on exterior wall of a distressed liquor store, but as we cross into Utah that neckhair-tingling sensation becomes more concrete. We're 21 miles off course, but as we turn the van around in some desperate-looking, no-name town, I'm not dreading the 40 minutes extra we'll be driving the Metris. Not at all.

Mercedes-Benz

For one, we're not that far behind schedule. Mathias Geisen, general manager of product management and marketing for Mercedes-Benz Vans USA, and I are having a fantastic conversation about how European-style vans have quietly started to conquer America. Our destination is Telluride, Colorado, an alpine Elysium bounded by the jagged peaks of the San Juan range. Moreover, the Metris is comfortable—well -bolstered and firmly cushioned seats provide long-distance support— and surprisingly quiet, considering the big open metal box aft of the front seats. You could say it's the Mercedes of vans, but you probably shouldn't.

Its larger brother, the Sprinter, is in its second generation and familiar to pretty much everyone. It established a beachhead that the upstart Ford Transit is handily dominating. Below the Sprinter-sized vans, there are the small European stuff-haulers: the Ford Transit Connect, the Ram ProMaster City, and the Nissan NV200. In between? There's not much at all, if you discount the traditional minivans, which tend to make poor commercial haulers (the miserable Ram C/V Tradesman, for example).

Mercedes-Benz

This gaping hole in the market is where Mercedes sees a golden opportunity, and hopefully one that won't be so readily co-opted by its rivals. In Europe, M-B's mid-size van is known as either the V-Class, a fancy, more luxurious people mover, or the Vito, a stripped-out cargo van suitable for contractors, plumbers, and delivery outfits. The Vito is the version that will become the Metris in the U.S. The V-Class's interior would have to be certified for American safety standards, something that's not in the cards at this time, according to Bernie Glaser, vice president and managing director of Mercedes-Bens Vans USA.

But the Vito is ready to roll, with a few changes. First is the name. Mercedes tells us that "Vito" tested poorly with focus groups, which were quick to associate the name with a certain famous movie about mafioso. So Metris it is. The second is the powertrain. In Europe, the Vito is sold only with diesel engines, but that won't cut it here. Mercedes's research shows that the U.S.-market Metris will mainly be used for short urban routes, with plenty of start-stopping. Hence, the M274 2.0-liter inline-four engine, complete with direct injection and turbocharging, has been adapted from other passenger vehicles like the C-Class. In the Metris, though, it makes a little less power: 208 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque compared to 241 hp and 273 lb-ft in the 2015 C300 sedan. In the Metris, the M274 is exclusively backed up by the 7G-tronic seven-speed automatic gearbox.

There's more. In Europe, the Vito/V-Class is available with 4Matic all-wheel drive, but we'll only get the rear-drive variant here. Mercedes told us that the Metris body is identical to the AWD versions in Europe, and wouldn't require any changes (beyond whatever federalization is required) to come stateside, although there are no plans as of yet to do so.

Mercedes-Benz

Speaking of plans, Utah isn't part of ours. We remedy this by making up time, something the Metris is happy to accomplish. It's steady at freeway speeds and, unladen, it's sprightly. Passing isn't much of a chore. We make it back to the turn we should have taken some 40 miles before, and in a typically Southwestern fashion, the landscape rapidly changes. Undulating hills give way to a sudden riot of blood-red canyons and gullies studded with hardy-looking shrubs, and a few miles later, we're winding upwards through the pines.

If we'd had an altimeter on board, we'd watch the needle spin from 7000 feet to around 9000 before Telluride's surreal antechamber opens before us. Ahead of us, white peaks spear an unusually blue sky. I'm spellbound; the Metris is unfazed, happily swilling a turbocharged air-fuel cocktail without any noticeable altitude sickness and tackling some manhandling by your author, who is well and truly high on the Rocky Mountains. It's a cool customer, taking to curves with little body roll and surprising grip thanks to European suspension tuning (well-dampened, but compliant), and I imagine how hard a local pizza delivery guy could hustle a decent-handling, rear-drive rig like this on his home turf. Colorado touge with a tofu-toting Mercedes van? All I ask for is a cut of the proceeds when that manga takes off.

Mercedes-Benz

Fleet operators and mom-and-pop contractors aren't going to buy a Metris on the basis of its corner-carving prowess—they will base that decision on careful consideration of its operating costs. It helps that the Metris is alone in its segment, slightly larger than the NV200, ProMaster City, and the Transit Connect, and offers 186 cubic feet of cargo capacity (versus 122.7, 131.7, and 128.6 cubic feet, respectively). Moreover, it can tow nearly 5000 pounds, compared to 2000 for both the Transit Connect and ProMaster City, and zero for the NV200.

One mark against it will be the lack of a Freightliner badge option: Unlike the Sprinter, you can only buy the Metris as a Mercedes. Brand-conscious buyers beware. If it makes a difference, Mercedes thinks the Metris will mainly appeal to taxi and livery operators, with delivery and contractor duty in the minority.

Mercedes-Benz

Despite a low-rent dash chock-full of hard, cheap plastic, the Metris should also attract more than a few families who still rue the day Volkwagen ceased EuroVan sales in the U.S. (despite Mercedes firmly insisting it won't market the Metris directly to the general public). And for lovers of the great outdoors (and/or the likewise departed EuroVan Westfalia), Mercedes showed us a couple of Euro-market pop-top campers, which hinted that American upfitters may be able to sell garageable RVs once again.

Mercedes-Benz

I don't own a business or a livery outfit, or have anywhere to park an RV, but I will offer this from my experience roving a couple of states semi-intentionally: The Metris is a sophisticated, comfortable hauler, unperturbed by crosswinds or curves or rough pavement, surprisingly quiet inside, and seemingly a good deal, starting at $28,950. Mercedes may indeed have found their mid-size-van niche.

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